I was born and lived in Michigan, for over thirty-four years. I lived that entire time through Michigan winters. They were both brutal and beautiful. We had snow on the ground two to three months out of every year. It would typically snow once or twice a week. 1” – 4” was the routine. Since the temperatures in late December up through March were usually well below freezing, the snow remained.
Obviously, that all changed dramatically when I moved to Los Angeles, California. The only “snow” I saw was on the inside of my freezer. It was hardly enough for a snowball, much less enough to make a snowman.
When I then moved to Portland, Oregon, then finally where I now permanently live in Japan, on rare occasions the white stuff fell from the heavens — three or four times a year — but then usually melt either the same or the next day. I still find it amusing that there’s so much drama when we get so little snow. Granted, people neither are used to it, as I was in Michigan, nor is there any of the necessary equipment and staff to deal with it. But only the slightest thin blanket coats the roads and sidewalks. And since it’s gone within 24 hours, it’s hardly a worry.
Well … this past weekend, I was transported back in time four decades! We got hit with a real blizzard! When the storm subsided, we had over 30 cm (12 inches) of snow to deal with, along with three days of sub-freezing weather. I have to say, while I sympathize with the locals who have little clue how to drive in this, I’m nostalgically ecstatic! I feel like I’m back to my original home.
I even made a couple snowballs and gave them a good toss!
It sure is good that this doesn’t happen very often. I don’t have snow tires for my bike!
